FG never accused us of importing toxins —Firms
Tidewater Marine International Inc and Tidex Nigeria have denied importing toxins into Nigeria as alleged by an Abuja-based lawyer, Max Ogar, in a petition which he (Ogar) sent to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission asking for probe into the non-prosecution agreement reached
between the companies and the Federal Government in 2011.
The PUNCH had reported that the incumbent Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, had directed the EFCC to probe the no-prosecution agreement.
But in a letter dated May 4, 2016, to The PUNCH, the firms, through their lawyer, Dr. B.A.M. Ajibade (SAN), faulted Ogar’s petition, stating that they had never been accused by the Federal Government of importing toxins into the country.
They also stated that the agreement they reached with the Federal Government did not make any reference to toxins.
The firm’s letter reads, “Our clients’ attention has been drawn to your recent newspaper publication of 27th April 2016 captioned ‘EFCC to probe Adoke’s $6m no-trial deal with suspect’ (‘the publisher’) reported by one Ade Adesomoju is in respect of a petition by a firm of legal practitioners, Legal Max, requesting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to re-investigate a settlement involving our clients and the Federal Government of Nigeria under the auspices of the EFCC in 2010.
“At the page 3 of the publication, you published of our clients thus: ‘The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe the circumstances surrounding the deal reached by his predecessor, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, not to prosecute a firm, Tidex Nigeria Limited, suspected of an alleged crime.
“The directive by the AGF to the EFCC was informed by a petition written by an Abuja-based lawyer, Mr. Max Ogar, who alleged that Adoke as the then AGF in 2011, exempted Tidex, otherwise known as Tidewaters, from prosecution after committing an offence of importing toxins into the country.
“Contrary to your false, defamatory, malicious and injurious publication, our clients have never been accused of importing toxins into Nigeria nor did the Settlement and Non-Prosecution Agreement entered into between our clients and the Federal Government of Nigeria had anything to do with the importation of toxins into Nigeria.
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